Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) is a military controlled area, where all the news are filtered by the military and the Bangladeshi government.CHT, where blood has shed for decades and hopes were burnt to ashes by the brutes, constitutes of people who want their voice to be heard. We are here to ensure that the voice of these unheard victims in CHT echo around the world despite the Bangladeshi government trying to suppress them in the biased state run media.
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Monday, September 27, 2010

Human chain formed across the country demanding constitutional recognition of IPs

On 25 September 2010 Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Forum (BIPF) and other Indigenous Peoples Organisations (IPOs) organized Human Chain in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Chittagong, Chittagong Hill Tracts and other parts of the country where indigenous peoples live in. Many IPOs and CBOs representatives, political leaders, journalists, lawyers, university teachers, human rights defenders, indigenous peoples rights activists had joined the demonstrations and raised their voices for the constitutional recognition of indigenous peoples of Bangladesh.

In their speeches, speakers urged the Government to seriously consider the issue of constitutional recognition of indigenous peoples; otherwise, the process of amendment of constitution will remain incomplete. This time, it is the unique opportunity for the county to erase the wrong done in 1972, they added.

All speakers demanded the constitutional recognition of the indigenous peoples. They urged the government for the greater interest of they country and for ensuring fundamental rights and dignity of the indigenous peoples, government should consider this issue seriously.

In addition, Adibasi Chattra Porishod and Hill Students’ Council (PCP) of Rajshahi University unit have also joined the Human Chain and delivered their solidarity speeches demanding constitutional recognition of indigenous peoples.

BIPF published a leaflet demanding constitutional recognition of indigenous peoples in Bangladesh on the occasion of human chain programme where following demands were placed before government of Bangladesh-

1.Ensure constitutional recognition of national entities, languages and cultures of indigenous peoples;

2.Provide constitutional recognition of special governance arrangement of CHT region for the protection of political, economic, cultural and religious rights of CHT;

3.Provide seat reservation for indigenous peoples including women in the parliament and local government councils;

4.Ensure constitutional guarantee so that no law and constitutional provisions related to indigenous peoples’ rights would be changed without consent of indigenous peoples;

5.Recognise rights to control over land, territory and natural resources of indigenous peoples;

6.Provide constitutional recognition of CHT Accord signed in 1997 and laws formulated under this Accord.

About Me

Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), home of Jumma Indigenous people, is a military controlled area, where all the news are filtered by the military and the Bangladeshi government. No foreigners are allowed to enter this military zone without obtaining permission from the Bangladeshi government.
CHT, where blood has shed for decades and hopes were burnt to ashes by the brutes, constitutes of people who want their voice to be heard. We are here to ensure that the voice of these unheard victims in CHT echo around the world despite the Bangladeshi government trying to suppress them in the biased state run media.
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